


Normality

by scifi



Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: Christmas, Fluff, Isle of Man, M/M, just some prose w/o dialogue as a practice uwu, prose
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-24
Updated: 2018-11-24
Packaged: 2019-08-28 15:46:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,066
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16726278
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scifi/pseuds/scifi
Summary: whenever dan and phil go to the isle of man for christmas they get a chance to just be themselves





	Normality

A cup of mulled wine warms his hands, turning them from rigid icicles to something he can actually feel. It’s cold up here, incredibly so. No matter how many winters he visited, Dan will never be fully prepared for the Isle of Man’s icy bite.

He takes a sip of the drink, the warmth and spices softening the red wine’s tang make it delicious. He could down cups of this if given the chance. The drink warms him up from the inside out, making him feel less frozen and more cozy. It’s still 2 degrees out, even colder given the wind, but the wine makes it just a little more bearable. 

They’re at a Christmas market, a quaint one in a tiny town. No one recognises them here and it’s comforting. Coming up here always feels relaxing, not having to keep up the boundaries. Here he could hold Phil’s hand in public if he wants to and no one would even make a fuss.

So he takes Phil’s hand just because he can. It’s still icy cold compared to his now warm fingers, and he squeezes. Phil squeezes back, a smile hinting on his lips.

They walk through the market like that, fingers entwined and wine colouring his cheeks, following Phil’s parents through the crowd. When they linger at stalls, looking for goods to buy, Dan feels a surge of pride at how Phil’s hand rests on the small of his back. It’s such a little thing, these gestures of intimacy. They’re something so many couples get to do daily but for them it’s a rarity.

That’s why he loves coming up north; it’s an escape into normality. 

They buy too many things like mince pies, cookies, and knick knacks to decorate their apartment. It leaves Dan with a buzz, mainly from the wine but also from how normal it feels to go wandering through the markets with the Lesters. 

On the drive home they sit in in the back as Kath sings Christmas songs and Nigel eventually joins in. However, instead of indulging in Kath’s need to sing, Dan favours leaning on Phil’s shoulder, hand resting on his upper thigh tracing circles with his thumb. It feels nice to be like this, with no care in the world, no plans to make, or calls to take. That’s always the perk of Christmas, especially when it’s with his second family.

He feels Phil press a kiss onto his forehead and he hums. Little intimate touches like that in front of others still make his heart pick up the pace. Even tho it’s only Nigel and Kath with them, two people who’ve known about them for so long, Dan still feels a little bit giddy. He’ll never get used to sharing such intimate affection, even if the only other people in the car probably weren’t even paying them attention.

They don’t make it home straight away, instead they find themselves on a rocky cliff overlooking the Irish Sea. It’s a gloomy day, clouds hang above their heads in dappled shades of grey. The drabness of the sky and the wind that whips past them adds to the stark cliffs their standing upon. The Isle of Man feels like the end of the world, a place that would exist when everything else falls into ruins. These cliffs and the clouds that hang over them will exist long after he, and everyone else is gone. 

Out here it’s only them, two generation’s of Lester’s with nothing but the dark sea ahead of them. Kath and Nigel are a little bit away, walking ahead of them, laughing as they swing their entwined hands between them. 

Phil’s holding onto his hand the same way so Dan pulls at it, bringing him closer so their chests are touching. They stand there, pressed up together as the winter wind howls around them and Dan just pauses. His eyes focus in on the delicate details on Phil’s face like the dusting of pale ginger freckles upon his cheeks and the way all the blue in his eyes has drained into the colour of the clouds. 

With his free hand, Dan runs a finger along the smooth curve of Phil’s cheek. Maybe it’s the mulled wine that’s making his insides feel warm but it’s mostly just the way this man still has such an intoxicating effect on him. It creeping close to a decade now but Phil still makes his heart race. It’s not the chaotic, intense love that had him falling head over heels faster than he ever thought possible but it’s the kind of deep rooted connection that is as natural and essential as breathing.

As he admires Phil’s wonderful face, time feels as if it has turned into honey drizzle. Nothing else ever matters when Phil is right there, heart beating mere inches from his own. They probably look ridiculous right now if his in-laws turn around to check up on them, just standing there unnecessarily close. He doesn’t really mind and neither does Phil since he hasn’t made an attempt to move. 

They came up north to stop caring, to remove the barriers for a few days. They were nobodies on the Isle and the ability to blend in meant that he can do this. It means that he can bring his lips to Phil’s and kiss him softly without the worry of anyone seeing or caring. 

Phil kisses back because of course he does and it feels lovely to do something so familiar out here instead of behind closed doors. He’s on top of the cliffs on the edge of the world and Phil and it’s bloody freezing but Phil’s lips are warm and he feels like he’s melting under his partner’s touch.

They pull away, still close enough that Dan can nuzzle his nose against Phil’s, the action making him giggle and Dan grins. He grins because his heart is racing, not out of fear of being exposed, but because he gets to do that up here. He gets to kiss Phil in the open as much as he wants and he still has to cherish that. They’re not quite there yet. Back in reality, boundaries still exist that may never fully go away, but for just a few days he gets to experience normality; a reality where he’s just another person in love, blending in with everyone else.

**Author's Note:**

> come say hi on [tumblr](http://scifiphan.tumblr.com) or [rebloggu the post](https://scifiphan.tumblr.com/post/180444362036/normality) uwu


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